Oak Island PD sexual harassment accusations

Female employees of the Oak Island Police department claim they were discriminated against and sexually harassed by their superiors.
WWAY spoke with two of the women today.
Christy Snapp used to work for the OIPD. She said she was fired when she complained about unfair treatment.
Another officer, who still works there and didn't want to go on camera, said her superiors often make inappropriate remarks and advances. She said they make her feel uncomfortable and get angry when they don't get their way.
"He asked me if I was looking for a sexual partner and on a separate occasion he had asked to see my breasts," said the OIPD employee.
Both women said they filed complaints to department heads.
They say they contacted the media after they felt their complaints were ignored.
The Oak Island Police Department would not comment on the allegations.

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Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), it is illegal to discriminate in any aspect of employment, including:
hiring and firing;
compensation, assignment, or classification of employees;
transfer, promotion, layoff, or recall;
job advertisements;
recruitment;
testing;
use of company facilities;
training and apprenticeship programs;
fringe benefits;
pay, retirement plans, and disability leave; or
other terms and conditions of employment.
Discriminatory practices under these laws also include:harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or age;
Read the next paragraph this is interesting...
retaliation against an individual for filing a charge of discrimination, participating in an investigation, or opposing discriminatory practices;
employment decisions based on stereotypes or assumptions about the abilities, traits, or performance of individuals of a certain sex, race, age, religion, or ethnic group, or individuals with disabilities; and
denying employment opportunities to a person because of marriage to, or association with, an individual of a particular race, religion, national origin, or an individual with a disability. Title VII also prohibits discrimination because of participation in schools or places of worship associated with a particular racial, ethnic, or religious group.
Employers are required to post notices to all employees advising them of their rights under the laws EEOC enforces and their right to be free from retaliation. Such notices must be accessible, as needed, to persons with visual or other disabilities that affect reading.
Note: Many states and municipalities also have enacted protections against discrimination and harassment based on sexual orientation, status as a parent, marital status and political affiliation. For information, please contact the EEOC District Office nearest you.
This can be found at www.eeoc.com

It's apparent that another agency should get involved. If the females are asking for someone else to investigate these claims something must not be right on the police department side. Also I noticed that the police have two different stories that they are telling the press. Something smells kinda fishy. One statement they made was the matter was investigated and it was handled and the next one they reported that no complaints were filed. I think the police department needs to get their story straight and I think another agency should investigate these allegations.And one more thing I heard that these women don't have attorneys, one word of advice to them. Get an attorney.

I do not understand why it is so hard for some people to believe that some men harass attractive women at work. THEY DO !
I worked at a huge business for several years. After getting to know everyone the sexual comments, jokes, smart remarks etc. began, they went on for 3 years. Most of them were just joking and I could tell who they were but the one that got more offensive basically asking for sex or for a peek went too far. I reported him to my boss and he was removed from the place.
This man was married w/ kids and asked me for sex straight out, this was after months of stares, grunts when I walked by, asking for hugs etc. Guy weighed 400 pounds and frankly grossed me out. I was single at the time and got flirted with daily. Flirting is one thing and not offensive to me, but asking me for sex when i have not shown any interest is down right rude and illegal. I found that any man I was nice to thought I wanted to have sex with him, why are some men that ignorant?? Just because I was "nice" and talked to them like humans they thought that.
It happens to attractive women and men everyday. I believe these women, I have been there.

Submitted by READ THE STORY (not verified) on Mon, 07/28/2008 - 3:44pm.

WhyNot, if the guy was not 400 lbs would that have made a difference? If he had been a GQ model would you have been so quick to report him for sexual harassment? So what you are saying is how a big fat slob dare dare think he is even in the same playing field as yourself....
Don't get me wrong, I know that inappropriate statements and actions go on in workplaces all over the world, and if it is un-solicited then it is unwanted and needs to be addressed severely. But when the complaining parts are the main contributors of immoral and indecent actions then it is a little crazy to try and ruin a person. I have no idea what happened in your particular situation as you have no Idea what happened in this one. I can only imagine based on your ridicule of large people and how that was a key factor in your decision to report this guy for sexual harassment.
The fact is that less than attractive people get hit on all the time and how you look or the appearance of the perpetrators has nothing to do with harassment or the severity of the punishment for such violations.
Every situation is different and there are facts involved in each. Thus, we don’t need to automatically find a person at fault based on sexuality, orientation or any physical characteristics. We should get the facts before we start passing blame and ruining a person’s life based on what may end up being a disgruntled group of employees or some one looking for a quick buck. Know all the facts.

How do you know these women are out for a quick buck. I reported a co-worker at my job for discrimination and I mediated with the EEOC and I was happy that I didn't have to work with him again. I didn't want money I just wanted my employer to take me out of the hostile work environment. It sounds that this claim wasn't even investigated. Question for ya Read The Story if you know all the facts tell us! so that we can stop wasting our time and taxpayers money on this.

Submitted by READ THE STORY (not verified) on Tue, 07/29/2008 - 8:03pm.

Howcanthisbe, Like I said, I don't know what happend to you. I am glad you got it worked out at your job. What I am trying to say is there are more facts to this incident than the media has been given.

I think everyone should stop passing blame and and using this blog as a forum for their own personal agendas. This is a very serious situation and regardless of the outcome, many lives are affected. Furthermore, what does any of this have to do with Tom Johnson? The sad truth is that everyone (except for the few that had something to gain by him staying there) was ecstatic when he left and were even happier that Chief Eddinger was taking over. I'm sure this will be fully investigated and proper action will be taken by the police department, if needed.

There are always several different sides to every story. This day in time you have to be very careful with what you say and how you say it. Someone may take it very different than the way it is meant. It sounds to me that it has been going on and on. True or not it needs to be looked into. This is a very serious thing.

When 3 people launch the same complaint, isn't it true? That is what the now adminstration said of former chief Tom Johnson. If one complains usually it's an unhappy employee. When you get 3 or more there is a problem. It looks like there is a problem.

Please don't be so quick to judge unless you know all the facts. Oak Island has a great department and there are always some unhappy employees such as these women who are complaining about absolutely nothing.

OAK ISLAND is a BUNCH of BULLIES who use their BADGE to do all kinds of things. I personally think they need a reality check and as far as HARASSMENT they haven't seen anything yet as I will and do have a MAJOR SUIT against them it's all recorded ; it's documented and they're witnesses so OAK ISLAND you BEST BEWARE because when you least expect it we're coming to take YOU DOWN !! SO keep on doing your illegal stops and stalking people and VIOLATING THE CONSTITUTION DUDES or I should say YAHOOOOOOOOO'S ...

Looking from the outside in everything may look perfectly good and it may be, but that doesn't mean that it is. If they do have these kind of problems I am sure they would try to cover them up and that is why it should be investigated by a neutral third party.

Why are these women unhappy about guest5641? is it because these men have covered up a major issue dealing with them. I happen to know Christy Snapp and know that she loved working for the town of Oak Island and she told me herself that she was going to continue working part time when she bought her business. Isn't kind of strange that they get rid of her unfairly for complaing about being mistreatred. I know one thing how would they feel if it happened to their wives or daughters. I have talked with Christy Snapp since the airing of the news and she said that all of this could have been taken care of with polygraphs. And Guest5641 how can you tell people not to judge so quickly this is America and why,do you know the facts to the case?

OIPD is in need of an overhaul. When Chief Johnson resigned and Eddinger took over, everyone thought that was the resolution. To be quite honest, I think folks now see Chief Johnson probably was never the major problem. What is the problem, is the staff. OIPD has some of the most arrogant staff members I have ever seen. The behavior demonstrated by some of the Sgt's and other officers is unbelievable. The Town Council needs to CLEAN out OIPD. Start at the top and go down the list. Many of the trouble makers during Chief Johnsons tenure are still there and up to the same ole same ole.

This is just really sad. I am so sorry for you employee's and I hope everything works out for you. I am really disappointed in our police department and its council. I hope that this will be investigated to its fullest and that it will not continue to be ignored.

The town of Oak Island needs to ask for the resignation of the Police chief and about 1/2 of his staff. This is disgusting when in the year 2008 this kind of behavior is still out there. CHIEF, DO THE RIGHT THING AND RESIGN, RIGHT AFTER YOU FIRE THOSE INVOLVED IN THIS BEHAVIOR.

I don't understand was there an investigation on this matter? If so what was the outcome? The town council may want to ask the chief of police, It maybe resolved fairly quickly. If what these women are saying is true, Who are these people that are protecting us.Maybe the Sheriff needs to come in and run the police department. I hope the town council gets to the bottom of this and quickly.

Do you think a Police Department would chance a law suit in this day and time and do nothing!
It was looked into and it was found to all be
a bunch of junk. EEOC will not even touch it, no lawyer will touch it. First of all don't you think with how our local lawyers are that if money could be made some one would have jumped at this. They could not push the staff around and use threats to run the department.

I truly feel sorry for the police officers, supervisors and police chief who have to work through a scandal like this. I have owned a house at Oak Island when it was Long Beach and came here to retire a few years ago. I know almost every officer at the police department and any of them that have been here for more than 10 years.
I have to say we have one of the best law enforcement agencies around. I know more than I should about this case and other things that go on in our local government, we will leave it at that, I only hope that the ones who are playing this game with so many lives find it worth all the problems they are causing. I do find it distasteful that a few of our politicians who obviously have a problem with our local law enforcement are using this as a chance to try and show their authority. You never hear them pushing an investigation into why we have so many reports of impaired drivers on the west end of our island or why we never do driving while impaired checkpoints on the west end of the Island. You know who you are! Then they will jump into the middle of something they have no knowledge of and try to run the show or “get to the bottom of it.” It’s always easy to put down your police force until you hear a bump in the night or you are bleeding on the side of the road. We need to support our officers all the time, if anything is going on at the Oak Island Police Department Chief Eddinger will take care of it.

This is how you spell lawsuit, first of all do you know who the EEOC is or did you just Google it. How do you know it was looked into it must not have if the town council is having closed door meetings with the staff. It seems as if it was handled and said to be a bunch of junk well why haven't they said anything. What the town council needs to do is bring in an outside agency to investigate it properly. Mayor Vereen and council you need to look at the turnover rate inside the department. I think you will find the real problem. The turnover rate is at it's highest inside the police department than it has been in previous years. In the next couple of months the police is going to lose several more employees due to various reasons (this is critical). How is the department going to continue to move ahead when the morale is so low. Usually when turnover rates start increasing and productivity starts to decrease there is a time for change. Now I may not know what change is needed but something has to be done and I'm afraid that it's too late for wrist slapping. Most of the time when you see small departments like these start losing people you know you have a problem. I believe the town has a very dark cloud over it's head until the issues with the police department is resolved.

Every officer I speak to at the Oak Island Police Department says the department is moving right along and everyone is happy. They say Chief Eddnger and Major Jordan are doing an outstanding job and for the most part morale is good!
I have heard a few of the officers are leaving for state jobs or to work as security guards out of country or in sewing shops.
Some of these officers are going to be missed, as they are doing a great job!
Change is a normal part of any company. Sometimes people find out they would be better at another type of employment and they move on. This does not really indicate a failing company, but progress in the works.
The words progress and change are often used interchangeably, but they are not alike.
All progress represents change, but not all change is progress. A poor man may become rich; through misfortune he may become poor again. His circumstances have changed twice, but he has seen no progress. Real progress is the result of self achievement, a move forward that is not reversed